How to: Reading the water

[DarkSkies]

Some inlet pics:

[DarkSkies]

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

Cuts and sloughs:


Outsucks:

Current:

Inner bar vs outer bar:


Where fish like to be:

[DarkSkies]

more surf pics

[DarkSkies]

some surf pics

[DarkSkies]

other surf pics

[voyager35]

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

That's why guys should be out there putting in their time instead of following all the internet reports like lemmings. You can lead a man to water, but you can't make him want to learn.

What I do-----I mostly fish in a boat where GPS is important. You might think that's all there is to is, job done. Nope, I also have landmarks written down for my inshore spots that are just beyond the surf. When we fish the rocks off of Deal, I write down in a Captain's log which pieces were more productive that year, and when. I write down if a rocky piece was between 2 certain landmarks. I also do this when we drift for fluke because we are drifting on sand, and the humps shift with the seasons.

Reading the water should be something that is in every fisherman's toolkit, whether you fish the surf or from a boat. Fishing an inlet is important as well. There are certain weather patterns and tides when you want to be near the front on the incoming and others where you want to be further towards the back on the outgoing. There are others that have some severe rips right before the inlet, and you have to read that water as well. They all depend on the structure and water flow of that particular inlet.

[finchaser]

Basics: reading the surf
The surf is more challenging than the bay. While the bay changes every year, the surf changes with every major storm.

Cuts and sloughs:


Outsucks:

Current:

Inner bar vs outer bar:


Where fish like to be:

I know the answer to the last one: (Where fish like to be)

In the water

[DarkSkies]

I know the answer to the last one: (Where fish like to be)

In the water

(I guess you missed the part where I said: "I'll fill in when I get a chance" )

So you're takin the place of Killie tonight?

Where is the HealThyselfMiracleMan...he sick or somethin?

Did he ask ya to fill in for him on the ballbustin crew?

Ya know, the job doesn't pay overtime, and the hours are terrible...

[BassBuddah]

A little something I try to look for, find the water that is different from the rest ie when the water is going out, find the water that is still coming in, or vice versa. This will reveal an area of stronger current. It's not always easy to spot for the newbie. Give it some practice in the sunlight, and you will soon get better at it.

[fishinmission78]

If you want to learn the basics, go to one stretch of beach at low tide, study it, and learn that well. Do it as many times as you need to until you learn that area. It would help if it was near an inlet, you can then learn what happens near the inlet as the tide ebbs and floods. Look for eddies or pools of different water near the sides of the inlets. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Your confidence will build up that way.

[surfstix1963]

Sandbars are pretty easy to see whats going on especially when you have waves.

A wave only breaks over shallow water.

Where it starts to form is the outer bar(deep water)

When it starts to form it is going over the sandbar(lower water).

Where it actually breaks is called the slough or trough. The wave dies down because it is coming back to deep water.

Thats the area between the beach and where the wave broke. Most of the fish are going to be right in front of the inside of the bar.

If you think about the least turbulent place for the fish to hold and feed on bait being washed over the bar, its where the wave just lifted and broke right over their heads.

Its really important to try to cast over the outer bar and work it slowly over the bar. When it comes over the bar this is where you need to pay close attention to the plug.

Keep it working but don't get caught up in the wave.

Try to follow the backside of the wave so your plug doesn't tumble and you lose control of it.

Waves usually come in sets.
Try and count them to get some insight on how the sets are coming in.
If you figure that you will have some time to work your plug w/o wave interference there should be nice foamy water. Always try to cast to the backside of an incoming wave.

Then you have cuts in the bar.
Watch the waves break. There will be areas where the wave is not breaking. This is a cut. This is the fishes hwy.

From outside the bar to the inside is where they can search for food. It is basically just a deep pocket of water in the sandbar the fish use because they can't get over the shallow sandbar.

Like I said most of the bait is being washed over the bar into the slough.I hope this made sense because I kind of got lost in my words.

[Frankiesurf]

What he said.